In one simple word –
yes. The LV=Cup brings a lot to the rugby community, and here's why.
The importance of youth in sport cannot be underestimated in the modern game. All teams have those
players we have been watching light up the rugby pitches for
years, but what happens when they are finished and their career is
over? Who do we watch then? I'll tell you who – the players who
have grafted their way through the academy and beyond. The path is
paved for these players, through the LV and other means, to come up and make a consistent name for
themselves in the first team, if they haven't done so already (which
we are seeing increasingly already – a lot of younger players have
already made big names for themselves). What the LV achieves is the
showcasing of those players who will go on to be the future of our
clubs and in some instances are already affirmed in the present. But, what makes this tournament so successful at demonstrating the future
of rugby? Well, all of the big names in English and Welsh rugby are
involved; the 12 Premiership clubs as well as the four Welsh Pro12
clubs battle it out year after year for LV= Cup glory. This in turn
brings in a huge audience, and has allowed the competition to thrive
for the past 10 years (which is how long it has been Anglo-Welsh).
All Directors and
coaches have stayed true to the aim of the tournament over the years,
consistently putting out teams that are full to bursting with
exciting young talent. Many names we probably already recognise, but
there are also many we don't and that is what makes it worth
watching – it allows the fans, commentators and even those in
charge of other clubs to discover and cast an eye over previously
unknown talent, which makes the future seem all the more brighter.
One day we will see many of these players regularly in the first team
for national clubs and we may even get to see them play
internationally in the not-too-distant future. The LV=Cup has become
evermore popular over the years with players and fans alike, and
there is a real impetus from every club to really stake a claim to
win the trophy. This is really good to see, as it could have been
very easy for the tournament to be viewed as a bit pointless
and vastly inferior to other silverware. Of course, it is not the top
competition going, but it is certainly up there amongst those which
the people love to watch and it is great to see it has not gone
to waste and that it invigorates the youth to go out and show
everyone what they are made of.
Not only does the
tournament itself provide a way for the youth of today to prove
themselves, but so does the LV= Breakthrough Player. At the end of
each pool round (there are 4 in total) two players, based on opta
statistics, are nominated for the award. This brings the nominees up
to 8, after which two wildcard nominees are added based on analysis
of their performance in the tournament as a whole. The grand total of 10 players are then subject to a fan vote, with the winner being
announced just before the LV=Cup final. In my view, this is a great
way for an award to be structured. Not only do you have nominations
based on actual statistical evidence of how well a person has played,
but then you also involve those people who make the competition as
popular as it is – the fans. Previous winners include Jonny May and
Ollie Devoto. We have obviously seen May lighting up the stage, occasionally, for
England in recent years, as well being a permanent fixture in
Gloucester's first team. He was a deserved recipient of the award and has gone on to better things in recent seasons. Devoto continues to make a name for himself whilst playing with Bath and, whilst he remains second to George Ford, he's taken to the role of flyhalf reasonably well in the latter's absence. In the centre position, where we see him pretty often, he plays even better and I can see him playing in an England shirt one day in the future as he has improved immensely over the past couple of seasons.
Having just sung its
praises, it is worth mentioning the fact that the tournament does
have its issues. One in particular is the fact that it is vastly
advantageous to the English clubs. There are three times as many
Anglo clubs, and this makes it very hard for us to see a Welsh
semi-finalist, let alone a finalist or a winner. The competition has
followed this Anglo-Welsh format for 10 years, over which time we
have had a total of 40 semi-finalists. Out of those 40, only 9 times
have we seen a Welsh team in the mix. Out of those 9 Welsh
semi-finalists, only four of them have gone on to be a finalist and
then only two of those finalists have actually won the tournament –
the Ospreys in 2008, and the Cardiff Blues in 2009. None of those
statistics are particularly positive towards the Welsh teams. I
understand the whole point of throwing it open to the Welsh teams was to expand the competition's reach, but really it's almost as if it only contains English teams.
For the past 3 years alone, there have been no Welsh semi-finalists and if the competition is to continue there is an argument there needs to be some changes. One possibility could be to open the
tournament up to all of the Pro12 teams. Yes this will still benefit
the English teams, but it could mean that one (or more) of the Pro12
regions are consistently in the semi-finals or even further. That
way, the tournament will spice up a bit and make the matches between
Premiership and Pro12 teams more competitive. Either that or we cut
out the Welsh teams who are currently competing, but I think that
would make the LV a bit lacklustre and not as inclusive towards
others. There would also be a drop in spectators.
Another problem is with
the selection of the venue for the final – this year, it takes
place at Franklin's Gardens and last year it was at Sandy Park.
You'll notice these venues host two of the teams that partake in
this competition. I can't see how it is fair to choose a ground
belonging to one of the clubs playing in the LV because, as we saw last year and could
see again this year, if the team that regularly plays there makes it
to the final they have a significant advantage, when really the game is
supposed to take place on a level playing field. My thinking is there must be a venue out there that is completely neutral and can be
used for the final. I know some fans will enjoy seeing the final
at their own ground, and may even end up watching their own team, but
it's not really fair to all the other teams and something should
be done to alter this state of affairs.
Despite those two
problems, the LV=Cup really is great to watch. Whilst it has not been
televised much this year, all matches sell a lot of tickets and
interest in the tournament has increased exponentially. There have
been rumours circulating that it will not be making an appearance
next year, potentially to make room for the World Cup, but I do hope that, even if does not take place next season, it will be back after that for
our viewing pleasure!
Have a rucking good
day,
Jess.
Twitter: @JessKebbell
@RuckMeGently
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ruck-Me-Gently/743970519052255
Email:
ruckmegentlyblog@gmail.com
Website: ruckmegently.blogspot.co.uk
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